Lode supes candidates square off

MURPHYS - Books and guns saved what might have otherwise been a humdrum debate among politicians Wednesday night at the Native Sons of the Golden West Hall in Murphys.

Dana M. Nichols

MURPHYS - Books and guns saved what might have otherwise been a humdrum debate among politicians Wednesday night at the Native Sons of the Golden West Hall in Murphys.

At first, Board of Supervisors District 3 challengers Mike Borean and Michael Oliveira made what is a fairly standard attack in Calaveras County against 20-year incumbent Merita Callaway: They said that county leaders are responsible, at least in part, for the county's economic woes, because county government has created a "poor business climate."

They argued that they've got the toughness to balance budgets and roll back "bureaucracy" that strangles investment.

Callaway countered that she's been responding to her constituents' needs for 20 years, and that she was the one who last year voted against hiring new county employees whose salary costs have contributed to the current budget deficit.

The audience listened. A few squirmed. Some eyes glazed.

Then moderator Paul Stein, himself a former Calaveras County supervisor, asked the candidates their position on Candy Rock.

Candy Rock, a former quarry site, is in the Stanislaus National Forest not far from Highway 4. It is also a popular place for target shooting, and the source of years of complaints from residents of a nearby neighborhood upset with shooting noise.

The forest has imposed some restrictions on shooting but has yet to make a final decision on whether it can continue or if there will be further restrictions.

Oliveira answered first.

"I am a proponent of keeping Candy Rock open for pleasure target shooting," he aid. "Candy Rock has been there for a long, long time. It is used by the NRA and it is used by law enforcement."

Oliveira said he does not believe there are significant safety or noise problems at the site and he doesn't want to see it shut down "because someone just doesn't want to have shooting activity by their home that they bought five years ago."

Borean, in contrast, said that although he's a gun owner and NRA member, he does have concerns about safety at Candy Rock.

"We in the gun community can't afford to anger people not in our community," Borean said. "It is not safe, it is not controlled. It is extremely disrespectful to people who live there."

Callaway agreed with Borean and noted that she was part of the public process through which the Forest Service is considering the future of Candy Rock. "It is time Candy Rock closes and it (shooting) moves on to other areas," she said.

Libraries proved another sore spot.

With the county facing an $8 million general fund budget deficit in the coming fiscal year, libraries are a likely target. When an audience member asked whether the candidates would cut libraries, Borean and Oliveira were clear that they would if they had to to preserve funding for other priorities such as law enforcement.

"We can't afford what we can't afford," Borean said. Borean also said he was opposed to raising taxes, including those like the hotel tax, paid primarily by visitors to the county.

Callaway took the opposite tack.

"I will not cut libraries," she said.

But then the differences evaporated. Someone in the audience asked about the methamphetamine epidemic in the county.

Turns out all three candidates are opposed to methamphetamine addiction.

Borean, a fire battalion chief in San Mateo, said he's picked up "too many lifeless bodies."

Oliveira, who had a long career in law enforcement, railed about reductions in narcotics enforcement staffing in the county. Callaway noted that the narcotics program shrank because it is dependent on grants.

As eyes began to glaze again, a man on the far end of the room brought up Candy Rock again, asking where shooters will be able to go.

And then they were off, with Oliveira saying "I believe our Second Amendment rights need to be protected."

Contact reporter Dana M. Nichols at (209) 607-1361 or dnichols@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/calaverasblog and on Twitter @DanaReports